Nigeria: Ghana summons South African envoy over harassment of citizens

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria

Ghana has summoned South Africa’s acting high commissioner after videos showed Ghanaians being harassed in what officials called “xenophobic incidents,” including one where a legal resident was told to leave and “fix his country.”

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa met with acting high commissioner Thando Dalamba late Thursday, the ministry said in a statement. He cited a case in KwaZulu-Natal province where a Ghanaian with legal residency was confronted and told to return home.

The ministry warned of “escalating tensions, with foreign nationals, including Ghanaians, being advised to remain indoors for their safety.”

Ablakwa “underscored… Ghana’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle” and “emphasised that the unprovoked harassment and attacks on law-abiding individuals are contrary to the principles of African solidarity.”

South Africa, Africa’s most industrialised economy, is a major destination for both legal and undocumented African workers. With unemployment above 30 percent, the country has seen repeated waves of anti-migrant protests and sporadic violence. Official 2022 statistics put the foreign-born population at around 2.4 million, or about four percent of residents.